Former Malawi leader lauds own success

Former Malawi president Joyce Banda has spoken out for the first time since her loss in the May 20 Tripartite Elections, thanking Malawians for their support.

But JB has not hinted on her next move as a retired president.

In a posting on Wednesday on her personal Facebook page which still bears the title ‘Her Excellency’, Banda described the two years of her presidency as  extremely trying and yet very fruitful.

Her People’s Party (PP), formed in early 2011, garnered 26 seats in the 193-member Parliament, 65 local government seats out of 457 contested and finished third in the presidential poll with slightly over one million votes.

Before the current posting, Banda’s last update was on May 31 during which she congratulated President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and commended Malawians for maintaining peace and calm after the outcome of the elections.

Among the successes of her two-year presidency, Banda cited increased economic growth from 1.8 percent in 2012 to six percent in 2014, increased foreign exchange reserves and import cover from one week in April 2012 to three months and increased electricity generation through the addition of 64 megawatts following the commissioning of Kapichira Phase II Project.

Banda, who championed safe motherhood projects through a presidential initiative, also lauded the reduction of maternal mortality from 675 to 460 deaths per 100 000 live births.

The posting is also full of praise for her achievements such as increasing fuel availability from zero to 15 days, promoting business and investment and healed broken relationships with foreign donors and other countries.

Banda has not failed to hit at the media for painting ‘many pictures of me’ in the last few years but commended Malawians for their faithfulness, support and belief in her leadership.

Banda also said it was an honour to be Malawi’s first female President and the first in the Southern Africa region as well as the second in Africa.

“I believe strongly in the need for female leadership around the world and especially on this continent. I am committed to doing all that I can to empower and develop these leaders both at home and abroad as I enter this next stage of my life,” she said.

The posting has strengthened remarks by the party’s spokesperson Elias Wakuda Kamanga who told The Nation last week that PP felt betrayed by Malawians who gave them the idea they would triumph in the tripartite elections.

Banda, who remains the party’s president has retreated to her family home in Nkhata Bay and failed to make it to the inauguration function in Blantyre for the ceremonial handover of power to her successor Mutharika.

Banda ascended to the presidency on April 7 2012 in line with constitutional order after the death of former president Binguwa Mutharika. Up to that point, Banda was Bingu’s estranged vice-president who was expelled from DPP in December 2010.